Ahead of the important five-match Border Gavaskar Trophy, starting on November 22, India bowling coach Morne Morkel named the Indian star to ‘watch out for’.

Morkel has already enthused 21-year-old batting all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who is in line to win his first Test title in the series opener.

At a press conference before the first test in Perth, Morkel said:

“[Reddy] He’s one of the young guys we’ve mentioned, he’s got that kind of all-round batting ability. He will be a guy who can endure that finish first.”

The Proteas added: “He’s a player you can keep an eye on in this series.”

Nitish Kumar Reddy has already testified to his great prowess after having a great IPL 2024 campaign earlier this year and then he was also impressed with the limited opportunities he got in the India jersey in white-ball cricket.

He has now been quickly brought into India’s Test squad and was part of the team during New Zealand’s recent three-match Tests as a roaming reserve.

Shubman Gill not yet ruled out for Perth Test

In the absence of Rohit Sharma for the Perth Test, India’s batting line-up could depend on the emergence of some of its newest players. If Devdutt Padikkal is listed at No. 3 and Dhruv Jurel at No. 6 as per the multiple reports doing the rounds, the playing XI may be the youngest Indian team in terms of combined age to start a tour since the 1947 series in Australia.

On the other hand, Morkel also spoke about the availability of top-order batsman Shubman Gill, who had injured his thumb during match simulation practice and put his chances of playing in doubt.

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However, Morkel stressed that Gill’s fitness is being tracked on a day-to-day basis and a final call will be made only on the morning of the game.

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